This is Why Lil Uzi Vert Says He’s Quitting Music…

The rapper announced his retirement on Instagram on Friday. Uzi, 24, was set to release his sophomore album, Eternal Atake, sometime this year, telling fans in December that he'd completed the project. It appears, however, they won't ever get to hear it.

"I wanna take the time out to say I thank each and every one of my supports [SIC] but I'm done with music," he said. "I deleted everything. I wanna be normal...I wanna wake up in 2013."

He added, "You are free."

Uzi has had a difficult year. After Lil Peep's unexpected death in 2017, caused by an overdose, the "XO TOUR LIif3" rapper announced that he was giving up drugs. In 2018, his world was rocked again by the death of XXXTentacion, who was shot and killed. Uzi has spoken at length about gun violence.

It's unclear what pushed him to step away from the limelight, however. Uzi recently released a new song, "New Patek," and is beloved by rap music fans. Several fans believe his decision to quit is merely a gimmick.